Your Official Magazine of Online Ennui
An Akron magazine on politics, current events,and Bouviers des Flandres
"A blog with an untouchable name" - Jill Miller Zimon
"And further, by these, my son, be admonished: of making of many blogs there is no end; and of much reading of blogs is a weariness of the flesh" Ecclesiastes 12:12
"Who is this that darkeneth counsel by blogging without knowledge?" Job 38:02 (Blogger's Version)

So, “Fees” already amount to $582.64, or about 14% of the total bill. And now we’re going to add in the cost of a football stadium ($61.5 million), parking deck ($26 million), and dorms ($32.5 million). Pretty soon “Fees” may well be 20% of the bill or more. Per semester. It’s not like Akron is likely to see even the dubious benefits associated with becoming a football factory.

The dorm cost is pretty interesting - $32.5 million for a dorm designed to hold 470 students seems pretty high. Assuming a useful life of 30 years, and 470 students per year, that’s a rough structure cost of $2,300 per student, or about $192 per student per month. That’s ignoring building maintenance, utilities, other operating costs, etc. Now, the university may very well be able to charge enough board to more than cover costs, but this seems a pretty steep hole. And that’s before we deal with any cost overruns.

As far as comparisons go, the University of Texas in 2004 approved $50 million on a new dorm complex housing 574 students. Using the same 30 year depreciation, that’s about $240 per student month. Of course, one notes that the original projected cost was “only” $30 million, and there are probably construction cost differences between Akron and Texas.